Conservation Comores 2005: Biodiversity and Resource-use Assessment and Environmental Awareness Final report Diagrams, maps and photos removed from this version to conserve file size A collaborative project organised by the University of Oxford, the Comorian Centre National de Documentation et Recherche Scientifique, and the Comorian NGOs Action Comores Anjouan and the Association d’Intervention pour le Développement et L’Environnement; with the support of the Direction National de l’Environnement et des Forêts and the United Nations Development Programme Dates: Scoping trip 8th April to 14th April 2005 Main project 30th June to 14th September 2005 Scoping trip for follow-up project 31st August to 9th September 2006 Contact details: [email protected] Doulton, H., Marsh, C., Newman, A., Bird, K. & Bell, M. 2 The project was marked by a tragedy. Hamidou Ali, one of our key partners in Grande Comore, was killed in a car crash early in the morning of 29th July. As President of the NGO AIDE and Biology Professor at the University of the Comores, Hamidou was a dynamic and successful man. His open, warm manner gained respect and friends wherever he went. He will be greatly missed. We dedicate the results of our work to his memory. 3 4 Doulton, H., Marsh, C., Newman, A., Bird, K. & Bell, M. (2007) Conservation Comores 2005: Biodiversity and Resource-use Assessment and Environmental Awareness. Final report 5 6 Summary Introduction The Union of the Comoros is an archipelago of three main islands of volcanic origin situated in the western Indian Ocean. Like most isolated oceanic islands, the Comoros are rich in endemic taxa. These unique taxa are greatly threatened by an expanding population that relies on clearing forest for its livelihood, and the Comoros are therefore classified as part of one of the five ‘hottest hotspots’ in terms of global conservation priorities. The deforestation also threatens the livelihoods of the Comorian people, with widespread loss of soil fertility and moisture apparent. Despite this, their small size and history of political instability mean that there has been little international conservation intervention on the islands. Conservation Comores 2005 arose out of the Oxford University Comoro Islands 1992 & 1994 Butterfly Surveys. Dr Owen Lewis, leader of those two expeditions, suggested that the surveys be repeated to assess habitat change and consequent changes in butterfly richness. The scope of the project was expanded from there in an effort to reach to the heart of the conservation issues and bring lasting benefit to the Comoros. The final project included butterfly, bird and socio-economic research, and environmental awareness work. A multi-disciplinary team was recruited and a preliminary plan formulated by the end of October 2004. The University of Oxford team then approached the Centre National de Documentation et Recherche Scientifique (CNDRS) and Action Comores Anjouan (ACA), both of which committed themselves to the project at an early stage. Hugh Doulton visited the Comoros in April 2005 to meet all partners and aid the last stages of preparation (report available upon request). From there, plans were finalised in full conjunction with ACA and the CNDRS, and with the input of various international advisors and members of the NGO l’Association pour Intervention en Developpment et l’Environnment (AIDE), the United Nations Development Programme-Comoros (UNDP-Comoros) and the Direction National de l’Environnement et des Foret (DNEF). A further week-long visit in September 2006 paved the way for a longer project which is scheduled to begin in October 2007. Achievements ¾ Performed over 300 butterfly transect walks and over 200 bird point counts on Grande Comore and Anjouan ¾ Updated information on the patterns of endemic richness and the status of rare species ¾ Investigated community attitudes to conservation of the forest and assessed qualitatively the current levels of deforestation and environmental awareness in four villages (two on each island) ¾ Produced posters and two films to be used in engaging communities in the sustainable use of the forest resource ¾ Engaged environmental groups from over 30 villages in conservation work ¾ Established the basis for a longer project by forging strong links with communities, NGOs, and the Governments of the Union and of each island Results Bird surveys: On Grande Comore species richness was highest in mature and underplanted forest, where a closed canopy remains, and on the south-eastern slopes of Karthala. Species richness peaks at around 1300m, 500m higher than that found during previous surveys in 1985 and 1989, before decreasing sharply after 1500m at the boundary between mature forest and heath. It therefore appears that the zone of peak species richness has been pushed upward in line with deforestation at lower altitudes. On Anjouan, species richness is highest in areas of forest where large native trees still remain and, again, there is a humped relationship with altitude with species richness peaking at mid-altitudes. The critically endangered Anjouan Scops Owl was found to inhabit even highly degraded areas of forest, suggesting that it may be at less risk than previously thought. Butterfly surveys: On Grande Comore, there had been a significant upwards shift in abundance across six endemic species since 1992, showing that deforestation at low altitudes is restricting the range of the threatened endemic species. Individual transects where habitat had degraded from underplanted to secondary forest had also suffered a significant decrease in endemic richness compared with transects that had remained underplanted since 1992. The south-eastern slopes of the island were the highest in endemic richness. On Anjouan, endemic richness peaked at around 800m. Some endemic species preferentially inhabit plantations and peak in abundance below the start of the forest, whilst others are virtually confined to what little remains of the forest. It therefore appears that some of the endemic species on Anjouan have been able to adapt to non-forest habitats and so are unlikely to be under threat, whilst those restricted to forest habitats should be considered highly threatened. Socioeconomic surveys: The economic situation and population pressure were the most often-cited reasons for ongoing deforestation in all four villages where we worked (Djoumoichongo and nKourani-Sima on Grande Comore; Mjumvia and Lingoni on Anjouan). The scale of deforestation varies from constant timber removal on the south-eastern slopes of Grande Comore, to gradual degradation of the little remaining forest on Anjouan as new fields are gazetted. Environmental awareness differed markedly between the two islands. The lack of previous environmental awareness work on Grande Comore meant that most people were unaware of the long- term problems deforestation might be causing and many believed that the forest was an infinite resource. However on Anjouan, the problems caused by deforestation are all too evident to the people, and there was also a more positive attitude towards forest protection. The general consensus across both islands was that the government did not have the capacity to enforce forest protection, and the view that government action would ignore community needs was also widespread. Community-led action was thought to be a better option, with the most frequent suggestions being tree planting and generation of incomes not dependent on forest exploitation. Detail on the substance and implementation of these solutions was, in general, lacking. Awareness work: Posters and films showing the value of the forest were produced with the input of local communities and all partners. These will be used as part of a community engagement strategy envisaged for the longer-term project. A training day was held on each island for members of a total of about 30 village environmental groups (Ulangas) drawn from villages impacting directly on the forest. The problems caused by deforestation and the possible solutions were discussed in detail and the participants urged to work to transmit the messages to their communities. 8 Conclusions and Recommendations ¾ The situation on Anjouan is urgent as deforestation continues and ensuing problems mount. There is far more forest left on Grande Comore, but deforestation is advancing at a rapid pace. Forest protection measures must be implemented soon if biodiversity and ecosystem functions are to be maintained. ¾ One aim of protection would be to conserve as full a complement of the Comorian fauna and flora as possible. We base recommendations on three months of bird and butterfly surveys and a study of the literature of earlier surveys of these two taxa – further focal taxa research is needed before concrete biodiversity recommendations can be made. ¾ On Grande Comore, an exclusion reserve would best be located on the south- eastern flanks of Karthala, where a large amount of relatively intact native forest remains and species richness is at its highest for birds and butterflies. On Anjouan, a reserve would most easily be located around Mt. Ntingui, but there is such a small amount of native forest left that any remaining patches should be considered for protection. ¾ More detailed socioeconomic research is needed to investigate the attitudes of all stakeholders to conservation, and the levels of deforestation and environmental awareness. A public engagement strategy can then be devised, using the materials of this preliminary project as a starting